CHENNAI: A government SETC Express bus from Tirunelveli was heading towards Chennai with 48 passengers in the wee hours of Monday.

When nearing Pukkathurai near Maduranthagam in the Trichy-Chennai National Highway the bus rammed on another SETC bus which was heading towards Chennai from Thiruvanamalai with 50 passengers.

Police said that in the impact of the collision Ashok Kumar (46) a passenger in the the Tiruvannamalai bus died on the spot with grievous injuries and 14 others including the bus driver who suffered severe injuries were admitted to the Maduranthagam and the Chengalpattu government hospitals.

The Padalam police who visited the spot retrieved the body and sent it for post-mortem.

The police have registered a case and further inquiry is on.

Following the accident, traffic was affected on the National Highway for more than an hour.